Как колоезденето може да помогне на оцелелите след геноцид + Видео

Today we will tell you more about a great documentary – Rising From Ashes. The cinema magic tells the story of Rwanda and the part cycling took into the newest history of the country.

In 1994 Rwanda went through on of the scariest moments of history – a massive genocide that took the life of more than half a milion people. The black days went for three months,

Before that happened Rwanda was a country that was run on bicycles. In every village people used bikes to do their daily jobs. A few years after the genocide, bicycles started to make its way back into people’s life. And with the wheels it brought back hope that something good can happen.

his time the bicycle had a more special function, because a new generation decided to go into professional cycling. And here comes the cycling legend Jonathan „Jock“ Boyer who embraced the idea to create a national cycling team who can qulify for the Olympics in London 2012.

Jock was the first American to race Tour de France. From his youth he knew Tom Richey, with whome he raced in California. It is Tom who first saw a group of bikers in Rwanda, who called themselves „Team Rwanda“. He shares his experience with Jock and so the idea for a national team was born.

When Jock began work he faced problems he never imagined he would ever meet. The boys he worked with had never been to a dentist, they had never had any kind of medical care. Most of them had never had clean water. Let alone electricity. They were underfed. Illiterates. Psychologically hurt.

So his first job was to deal with those very basic issues.

It is by chance that Jock finds his best cyclist – Adrien Nionshuti. Adrien had lost more than 60 relatives in the genocide, including his mother and six brothers. Despite that, he managed to become one of the few black athletes with a place in a typically „white“ sport.

He qualified for the London Games.

The effect of his accomplishement in Rwanda was incredible. From a way of living, cycling went to being an ambassador of hope.